Fractured
by Kristaon
Summary: Whether it be for the better or worse, war has its own way of changing people. When the world starts to fall apart around Elsa, she'll find out the kind of sacrifices it takes to protect her kingdom and the one person closest to her: Anna. Set directly after the thaw. Elsanna - Icest. Rated M for language, violence, potential smut.
1. The Dream

**A/N:** I told myself I wouldn't start work on this until I finished with Burning Low. But, it's still my main priority. Updates for this fic will probably be fairly few and far between until I finish with my main story.

Moving away from an mAU setting and trying something canonical. Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer that I don't own any of this. Frozen all belongs to Disney.

* * *

At what point does the prey accept its fate? Knowing they're overpowered in every way, just waiting for the wolves jaws to latch onto its body, bringing the end of a life with just a twitch of a muscle as teeth tear into flesh and shatter bone.

For Elsa, waiting for the end seemed to be worse a fate than the end itself. At what point would the kill turn into an act of mercy? Whenever that moment would come, it would come with a bittersweet release. With adrenaline pumping through her body, she ran for her life. The forest she was accustomed to now seemed foreign as she dashed past the branches and stone, the only sound coming from her feet against the snow and her heartbeat in her ears. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. Survival was the only thought racing through her mind.

Through the corners of her eyes, she saw the mist disappearing through the trees. It wouldn't last for long, just a fleeting moment served to remind Elsa that she was not the predator, but the prey. The periodic laughter sent chills down her spine as she desperately tried to catch her breath with every step. This was a game that she had absolutely no control over. She would try to defend herself by sending blasts of ice flying toward the shifting mist amongst the trees, only to miss every time. Always a moment too late to see her hunter, much less hit it. She stopped, collapsing against a nearby boulder as her chest heaved in a desperate attempt to catch her breath.

"Why did you stop?" Shrieked a directionless voice as Elsa caught glimpse of the mist that narrowly escaped her sight when her head frantically shot to face it. "It's much more fun when the toy runs!" It came again as all logical thought within Elsa's mind left. She turned and pressed her back onto the stone, eyes darting across the forest as she wiped the sweat off of her brow. She couldn't keep this up for much longer. The voice continuing to taunt her, laced with a shrill cynicism.

"Elsa!"

She turned toward the direction of the familiar voice before starting her frantic dash again. "Anna!" She screamed with the little breath she had as she chased toward the direction of her sister's voice. A second wave adrenaline hit her with a renewed vigor, sending loose snow into the air with every step.

"You think you can save her?" The voice came again, taunting her. "You couldn't save your kingdom, what makes you think you can save your sister?"

Fueled through the adrenaline and determination, Elsa did her best to block out the taunts and laughter. She tried telling herself that it wasn't real; it was all in her mind. The mist she could only see through the corners of her eyes weren't real. She wasn't hearing any of the insults and taunts; it was only her panic induced state creating hallucinations. Although the splatters of blood against the trees served as a reminder that everything was very real. Sprawling up a hill with little more than her own will, she leaned against a nearby tree and tried to survey her surroundings.

"Elsa!"

This time it came from behind her as she turned back around and looked down the hill. She fell to her knees when she saw her sister, the one person she tried her entire life to protect, caught within a man's grasp. She couldn't see the man's face concealed by Anna's head. Despite the distance from the top of the hill, she could make out several bruises and cuts across her sister's skin, obvious signs of a struggle.

"Your future is bleak."

"Why are you doing this!?" Elsa screamed in defiance as she slammed her fists into the snow and attempted to slide down the hill and toward her sister. She ended up slamming into a solid block of ice that materialized right in front of her eyes. The impact sent a sharp pain throughout her previously numb body.

"Your kingdom will splinter."

With the last bit of her strength, she pushed herself off of the ice block and barreled down the hill only to crash into another block as the laughter echoed throughout the forest.

"Your land shall be cursed with unending winter."

Pushing herself up to her knees off of the ice block, she caught a quick glimpse of her reflection before she turned and tried to face the mist that teased the corners of her eyes. Upon hearing Anna's grunts of defiance as she tried to escape the figure's grasp, Elsa pushed herself off the block again and desperately tried to make it down the hill.

"With blasts of cold will come a dark art."

Elsa's descent down was abruptly stopped when she felt something constrict around her ankles. She looked back and found icy shackles around them as they constricted harder around her. The pain in her body was negligible when compared to her need to protect her sister. Try as she might, she couldn't remove the shackles. Whereas normally she could control snow and ice at will, she could not get the shackles to budge.

"And a ruler with a frozen heart."

"Anna!" Elsa screamed again as she leaned against her quivering arms that threatened to give out from under her at any given moment. "Anna, look at me!" She pleaded, voice weak from exhaustion. At the edge of her vision, she could see Anna's blue eyes angle down to meet her own as she continued to struggle against the arms constricting her body. "I'm sorry!" Elsa cried, tears mixing with sweat as they fell off of her face.

"Then all shall perish in snow and ice."

"It's not your fault." Anna struggled, voice strained from the hand firmly grasped over her throat. "None of this is your fault! We'll be okay!"

Elsa saw the arm around her sister's stomach release, and for a brief moment, her strength returned to her as she desperately clawed at the snow in front of her in a vain attempt to descend the hill. She didn't dare try to use her powers with the risk of hitting her sister. She heard the shrill sound of metal against metal, causing her to cringe in pain from the sound.

"Unless you are freed with a sword sacrifice!"

"Elsa! I lo-"

Anna's words were cut off abruptly, eyes cast down to greet the sword that has been sent through her chest. Her blood dripped off of the tip of the blade, trickling down into the snow beneath her.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed, tears now cascading down her face in an endless stream. She saw her sister very briefly look down toward her as the life faded from her eyes and she fell onto the snow with a dull thud.

The man sheathed his sword and turned away from Elsa. "The Southern Isles send their regards."

As her sister lay dead at the bottom of the hill in front of her, Elsa collapsed onto the ground, finally losing any strength or will to fight. Her chest heaved with heavy sobs, her entire life gone in the blink of a second. Through the tears, she saw the mist coalesce in front of her. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?" She pleaded, desperate to find any kind of answer for the death of her sister. Feeling a freezing chill at the bottom of her chin, she was forcibly lifted off of the ground and onto her knees. She felt a new set of chains bind her wrists behind her back, her struggles to escape from them in vain.

The mist in front of her almost had a human figure to it as it confidently strode around the defeated blonde. "I'm surprised you don't know me, Elsa. I know you." It taunted in a smooth tone as it made its way back in front of Elsa. She saw a separate cloud of mist form and coalesce in front of her in the shape of the very sword that had previously been inside her sister's chest and held it across her neck. The chill radiating off of the blade caused a chill to shoot down her spine as she shut her eyes, trying to brace herself for what came next.

"I'm the queen of the ice and snow."

And just like that, the wolf clamped its jaws.

* * *

Elsa awoke in a panic, nearly launching herself as she sat up on her bed. Through quickened, heavy breaths, she tried to get a reading on her surroundings. She was in her room, sunlight basking through the large window that cast a painful glare off of the layer of ice covering her surroundings. Piles of snow were collected on the vanity in front of her, the corners of the room, and the window sill. Looking down at her hands with a wide eyed gaze, she clenched her hands several times before patting down her body to be sure everything was still there. With a heavy sigh, she cradled her face in her hands as a few tears escaped her eyes and fell down her face.

It was the pounding of the door that caused her to snap her head over toward the sound of the loud thumps. With every pound on the door, the wood would creek and bulge as small slivers of ice fell off of it. Backing into the wall behind her, she brought her knees up to her chest and sunk into herself. She wanted to call out and demand what was happening, but the words wouldn't come to her. Instead she just cradled herself, her muscles clenched with every pound of the door. Eventually, the door gave out as it fell onto the ground and sent a cloud of frost and snow into the air, obscuring her vision and cracked the ice on the floor as wood splinters shot across the room.

"Anna, it's down!" A man called out whom she immediately recognized as Kristoff. As the cloud of snow eventually started to dissipate, she saw the large man pick up the fallen door and move it to the side as her sister came dashing through the cloud and into her room. Sliding on the ice as if it were second nature for her, she immediately landed on the bed next to Elsa as she wrapped her arms around her sister.

"Anna, I-" Elsa muttered, voice low and cracked, trying to find the words to explain what was happening.

"I don't care what happened. I only care that you're okay." Anna reassured in a worried tone as she held onto her sister tighter. With shaky arms, Elsa returned the embrace and dug her face into Anna's shoulder. Through the corner of her eyes, she saw Kristoff give her a short salute as he bowed before leaving the room, understanding that the sisters needed a moment.

"It was a nightmare." Elsa began. "I was being chased, and I was in chains and I couldn't escape and… and" She tried to continue, but found it impossible as her crying made it hard to even breathe, much less explain herself. The memory of the nightmare still fresh in her mind as she held onto her sister who she had previously just saw dead on the ground.

"Shh." Anna comforted, running her hands gently through Elsa's blonde hair. "You can tell me all about if after you feel better."

"Hans killed you."

Anna paused and backed away slightly, running her arms down Elsa's as she held her at arm's length. Her eyebrows furrowed. "You saw the ship leave yesterday; he's off to the Southern Isles to hopefully rot in a jail cell for the rest of his miserable life." She passionately explained, her grip tightening around Elsa's arms.

"I know. I signed the paperwork myself to arrange the passage." Elsa replied as she wiped the corners of her eyes with the heels of her hands. "But it seemed so real… and-" She looked over toward the broken door propped up against the wall, ice finally starting to melt.

"I couldn't stand that door." Anna said quietly as she turned her eyes toward the floor. "I'm glad to see it gone."

In all honesty, Elsa was too. In many ways, it was a sign of everything that had went wrong with their childhood and their relationship. It wasn't even a large door, but it was enough of a barrier to keep the two apart. No matter how hard Elsa wanted to tear it off of its hinges and reconcile with her little sister. She knew that she had to stay behind it, not only for her own sake, but for Anna's.

"I don't mean to interrupt." Kristoff said hesitantly as he made his way back into the room, leaning against the doorframe. "But you could try talking to Grand Pabbie about this dream."

Anna turned to face the man, arms never leaving her sister. "You think he could erase the memory?"

Shrugging, Kristoff pushed himself off of the doorframe and took another slow step toward the sisters. "Maybe. But, there may be something more to it that he can tell us." He explained.

Anna looked expectedly over toward her sister, who was still trying to find some sort of control over her breathing.

"I have so much to do today, Anna. I don't know if I'll have the time to take a trek into the mountains." She protested. Her first official day of being queen of Arendelle, she didn't really imagine it being spent in an expedition to the trolls. She didn't exactly know what was in store for her for the day, only what Kai had told her the night before.

"The castle survived just fine before your coronation, it'll survive another day." Anna protested right back as she took Elsa by the hands and stood up. Even if Elsa wanted to decline and take on the day's duties, there was no way she could bring herself to deny her anything. "Besides, it'll be fun!" She exclaimed excitedly, face lighting up in ways that caused Elsa's heart to flutter.

After spending thirteen years behind a locked door, there was nothing she wouldn't give to make it up to her sister.


	2. Queen

**A/N:** I'm not sure how many people who follow Fractured also follow Burning Low, but I had stated in chapter 25 of Burning Low that I'm going to start keeping a chapter status on my profile right here on ffnet. I'll keep it updated every few days so that you all have a general idea of when the next update will be out.

Now that I'm finished with all of my exams, I should have a little more time to devote to writing. But, I think I'll focus on finishing Burning Low before starting chapter 3 of Fractured. I have _so_ many ideas for this fic, one of which even includes splitting it up into two different stories with a time jump between them.

I'm getting way ahead of myself, though.

Let me know how you're liking the story so far in the reviews and stuff. It's only the second chapter, but it never hurts to get feedback.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Your Majesty?" Kai flustered, struggling to keep up with Elsa as she strode through the halls. It was midday and the castle was in full swing between carpenters repairing the damages from the whiteout a couple days prior and servants trying their best to tidy and clean around the construction. He cleared his throat and adjusted the large stack of papers he was struggling to keep a hold of. "There's so much to do and not much time to do it if we're to look like a respectable kingdom."

"Are the dignitaries still in the kingdom?" Elsa asked without slowing her pace as she rounded a corner, oblivious to Kai struggling to keep up behind her. Her mind was elsewhere, she offered only curt nods to any passing servants.

"The ambassadors from Spain and France are, the Italian left just this morning." He answered, slightly short on breath as he readjusted the stack of papers in his arms again as he finally caught up to Elsa, nearly gasping for breath at that point.

When Elsa finally noticed him struggling, she slowed down to a lazy walk and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kai. I just have a lot on my mind. Why didn't you ask me you were struggling to keep up?" She asked with a small smile. Despite being the single most important person to the populace of Arendelle, she hadn't lost touch of her humility. She was determined that her coronation wouldn't change who she was, she had no intention to turn into a stern monarch who ruled with an iron fist.

With a nod of appreciation, Kai took a moment to bend over slightly to catch his breath. "Thank you, Your Majesty. But I still have to express my concern for your expedition to the trolls today." He admitted, straightening up as he began to match Elsa's leisurely stride down the halls.

"The kingdom managed without a ruling monarch for three years, what are a couple more days?" Elsa responded, remembering what Anna had told her that morning. "I'm not trying to shirk my duties, Kai. I know that the kingdom does first, but I cannot in good conscious rule if my mind is occupied with other concerns." She admitted as she began to descend the large spiral staircase that led to the main hall.

"I understand, Your Majesty. But there are still many trade propositions, tax regulations, and foreign requests to answer to." He mentioned as he once again readjusted the large stacks of paper in his arms and patted them with his free hand. "Many of these must be addressed solely by the reigning monarch and were put off during those three years until you took the crown." Reaching the bottom of the staircase, he wiped the budding sweat off of his brow and took another deep breath.

In all honesty, it amazed Elsa that the kingdom was able to put off much of that for so long. Even surprising still was that there wasn't a policy in place to anoint a regent when there was not a current monarch. She made a mental note to create such a policy later after extensive interviews with some of the nobility in Arendelle. "I have the utmost faith in you, Kai. I know you'll be able to keep the kingdom and foreign dignitaries in check for just a couple more days. But, I would actually like to know the status of the repairs." She mentioned as they entered the main hall, the very room in which she had ran from the night of her coronation. It still gave her an uneasy feeling remembering the looks of shock, surprise, and awe from many of the attendees when her powers were finally made public.

"The majority of the repairs are estimated to be completed by the end of the week, actually. Many of the contractors and unions have made it their goal to not only repair the damage, but to improve upon many of the aging structures. Completely free of charge, I may add."

"And what of the restoration projects?"

"Gerda has taken it upon herself to lead it personally. The castle is estimated to be spotless and just the way It was, if not better, before the repairs are estimated to be finished." He cleared his throat before laying down the large stack of papers on a nearby table that lined the main hall with a dull thud. "The workforce of Arendelle is in full swing, Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded to herself as she took a seat at the table and invited Kai to join her. "Would it be too much to ask some of the servants to make rounds across the kingdom and offer refreshments and food to some of the laborers? It's the middle of July, after all."

Kai took his seat across from Elsa and offered a reassuring nod. "It can be arranged, but wouldn't it be easier if you just summon up a little flurry over the town?" He joked with a small grin.

Elsa knew that it was a joke, and offered a small chuckle and a smile in return. But even though she knew that she now had full control over her abilities, it would probably be awhile until she felt comfortable using them on such a large scale. Turning the entire courtyard into an ice skating rink is one thing, but cooling down the entire city by a few degrees is another. "Alright, Kai. Let's take a look at a couple of those papers until Anna arrives. But afterwards, I really must be off." She stated in a lighthearted tone as Kai curtly nodded and began to flip through the large stack of papers.

"This one came in just a couple weeks ago that looked to be the most important." He started, flipping through the pages until he pulled out a sealed letter. He slid it across the table to Elsa, and pointed out the seal on the front of the letter that had the shape of the sun. "This is the seal of the kingdom of Corona, one of our closest allies and benefactors. We normally do not hear much from them, so when we received this letter, we knew that it had to be something fairly important."

Elsa gingerly grabbed the letter and rubbed the fabric between her thumb and index finger. With this letter, all of her responsibilities as queen of Arendelle officially began. She could feel her stomach twisting and turning into several different knots, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel excited. Knowing that a new chapter of her life was upon her and she could leave much of the pain of her childhood alive. She took a deep breath before breaking the wax seal and unfolding the letter.

_Your Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle,_

_It has been brought to our attention that you are nearing your coronation and are prepared to take upon the crown. We would like to take this opportunity, as one of your closest allies, to reaffirm any and all agreements what were signed and agreed upon during the reign of the late King Adgar of Arendelle. We understand that this may be a trying time for you and your kingdom, and if there is anything we could do to strengthen our ties and make this transition easier for you and your kingdom, do not hesitate to let us know. Because of this, I will personally take it upon myself to meet with you to discuss and address any and all arrangements and the continuity of our kingdom's prosperity._

_In fact, I've already left. I'm expected to arrive exactly a week after your coronation._

_Also, I'm allowed to bring my husband but not my chameleon. Weird._

_Regards, Princess Rapunzel of Corona_

"Well, would you look at that. I'm hardly queen for a day and already addressed to meet powers that will heavily affect the continuity of the kingdom." Elsa muttered under her breath, placing the letter down in front of her and ran her hand through her hair.

"Pardon, Your Majesty?" Kai cautiously asked.

"Make sure that the guest wing of the castle is prepared within a weeks' time, we have to accommodate the princess of Corona. " Elsa bluntly stated, briefly drumming her fingers over the letter.

"Elsa!" Came an abrupt, muffled voice. Turning her head toward the main doors of the castle, Elsa smiled curtly at Kai before standing and making it to the door in a few long strides. Opening the doors, she instinctively kneeled down for the hug from Olaf.

"What can I do for you, O-"

"Come on!" Olaf interjected, grabbing Elsa's hand in one of his stick arms and struggling to lead her into the courtyard. "Anna needs your help!"

Elsa's eyes widened as she felt her heart starting to steadily beat a bit harder in her chest. "Where is she?" She asked sternly, almost in a demanding tone as she swooped her arm underneath the snowman and picked him up, cradling him in her arms.

"Over by the stables." Olaf answered immediately, struggling to free one of his arms from Elsa's grasp and pointed toward the agape courtyard gates. With a curt nod, Elsa took a deep breath and began to run toward them. She didn't even think to ask Olaf the severity of the situation, but the words 'Anna needs your help' reverberated within her. Try as she may to increase the sides of her strides, the confines of her dress wouldn't allow it. Once she reached the gates and began to cross the bridge, she wrestled one of her arms free from underneath the snowman and thrust it out in front of her, instantly causing a thin strip of ice to coalesce in front of her until it hit the side of a building in the distance. She noticed a few citizens step back in surprise upon the feat, a few smiled when they noticed their Queen, some bowed, but they all instantly put a few feet distance between them and the ice. The slight descent in the terrain after the bridge caused Elsa to enter a slide as she began to rush straight through the small crowd that had formed.

"Olaf, I have very limited knowledge of the city itself outside of the courtyard." She started, kneeling down ever so slightly as her speed continued to build. "I'm going to need you to tell me when we near the stables, okay?" She finished, looking down at Olaf with a worried expression as he smiled back at her with a nod.

"Don't worry, Elsa! I know this city like the back of my hand!" He exclaimed, wriggling out of Elsa's grasp as he climbed on top of her shoulder. Wiping a few stray snowflakes from her face from Olaf's personal flurry, she teetered slightly as her center of gravity shifted thanks to the snowman. As her speed continued to grow, the citizens in her peripherals steadily started to turn into a blur. "You know, everything looks kind of different when you're going this fast." He muttered as he held onto Elsa's head, moving to her other shoulder as she teetered again.

"Well, we're just going to start going faster and faster until we crash into the building in the distance." Elsa worriedly replied as the aforementioned building started to grow larger as they got closer to it.

"What building?" Olaf asked, turning his head forward. "Oh, that's the stables!" He exclaimed in an excited tone. "I guess we can start slowing down now, huh?"

"Uh-" Elsa started, frantically looking around her the best she could since she couldn't move her head. It didn't help much, at this point, everything around her melded together in a steady blur. "There's a problem with that plan, Olaf."

"What's that?"

"I don't know how to stop."

"Oh." Olaf stated, absentmindedly looking around him. "Oh." He repeated in a lower tone as the realization hit him.

"But I have an idea." Elsa cautiously mentioned, doing her best to brace herself as she held her arms out in front of her. Trying her hardest to slow her breathing, the ice on the side of the building started to scatter and spread. She threw all she could at it, trying to freeze the bricks completely through. "If all goes as planned, it should be like glass. If it doesn't go as planned, then our bones may as well be glass."

"I don't have bones."

"Consider yourself lucky." Elsa replied. As the building grew larger and larger, she knew she was out of time and that she could only pray that what she did was enough. Grabbing Olaf off of her shoulders, she looked at him with a worried expression as she tossed him into the air before bracing herself, shutting her eyes tight and covering her face with her arms. As she crashed into the side of the building, her entire body instantly went numb as a sharp ringing began in her ears. Although she felt no pain, she felt herself slam against something. With her senses slowly beginning to come back to her as her adrenaline started to dissipate, she opened her eyes to find Kristoff kneeled at her side.

"Can't lie, that was pretty awesome." Kristoff admitted, earning a small smile from Elsa. As the dust, dirt, and ice began to settle within the stables, Elsa could see the large hole that was now present on the opposite side of the stables once she slowly opened her eyes. Remarkably, the support beams holding the roof up were virtually unharmed. Blinking a few times to try and collect her bearings, she saw Olaf merrily saunter by.

"Doesn't feel very awesome." She admitted in response, a sharp pain starting to radiate through her body as the ringing in her ears started to die down. "Where's Anna?" She asked more sternly as she tried to lift herself to her feet, only to wince at the pain and lean back against what she now knew was the wall.

"She's just outside, probably still asleep." Kristoff began as he stood up and offered a hand to help Elsa. "She's alright." He said when he noticed the concerned look on her face. "Olaf probably exaggerated a little bit when he said that she needed help."

Every step she took seemed to feel like little daggers shooting up her body, although putting some of her weight onto Kristoff helped to alleviate some of the pain. "I wish I would have known that before rushing down here." She muttered to herself. "Did you know that the city streets aren't perfectly level?"

"Yeah, I know. Olaf was able to slide down on his stomach when we brought Anna back to the castle the other day." He replied, guiding the queen outside of the stable doors and into the sunlight where a crowd of citizens had gathered around the stables. The looks on their faces ranged from worried to surprise, but after seeing Elsa, a few let out a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty!" Came Kai's voice as he pushed himself through the crowd, apologizing his entire way through. Once he made his way out, he stopped in front of Elsa and wiped his brow. "I think I speak for the populace when I ask you what that was. The crash was heard from the courtyard, I came as quick as I could."

Elsa held back a giggle but managed half a smile to reassure the portly man. "I'm okay, Kai. Just a little sore." She admitted before clearing her throat and lifting herself off of Kristoff to stand up straight. "I'd like to formally apologize for any distress and damaged I have caused. It was not my intention, and I'm fully prepared to personally pay for the damages." Elsa confidently projected into the silent crowd, unsure of what their reaction would be.

A tall, lanky man stepped out from the front row of the crowd and curtly bowed before breaking the silence. "It's quite alright, Queen Elsa." He said, running a calloused hand through his short red hair. The man was clearly past his prime, although he had smile that brightened his entire face. "I've been thinking about adding a new doorway anyway." He admitted in a gruff tone with a slight chuckle as Elsa let out a sigh of relief.

"It has a pretty nice view of the castle, Finn." Kristoff mentioned as he turned to the side and invited the man into the stables.

Finn rubbed his chin as he entered the stables and took a moment to inspect any damage within before turning toward the new hole in the side of the wall. Stepping closer toward it and running his hand over the shattered brick, he chuckled to himself. "So it does, Kristoff! So it does." He admitted in a jovial tone before turning back to the queen and smiling.

"So, I take it you're the stable master?" Elsa asked, taking a curious step toward the man and offering a small bow. "I'm honestly sorry for the damages."

Finn shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Kai scurried into the stables. "Your Majesty, I think it would be a smart idea if you'd allow a few of the royal guard to accompany you to the trolls."

"Royal guard?" Kristoff scoffed. "What do you possibly think could happen that would require armed guardsmen?" He asked, leaning against a nearby support beam as Kai turned his head and glared at him.

"The safety of the queen is my utmost concern, and I do not intend to-"

"Kai, enough." Elsa sternly stated. "I appreciate your concern, but you're not the guard captain. You're my steward. Again, I appreciate all of your efforts, but Kristoff is an expert on the areas outside of the city walls. If he doesn't think they're dangerous, then I trust his judgement." She continued, running her hand through her hair to pull back the loose strands that were sticking to her face. "You're dismissed." She finished, as Kai swiftly bowed before leaving the stables, but not before looking back at Kristoff with an apprehensive glare.

"Ha! Look at the queen asserting dominance over the paper pushers." Finn stated with a chuckle and a large grin.

"I know he means well. I'm just sore and a bit stressed out I guess." Elsa admitted with a heavy sigh. Cradling her head in her hand, she shut her eyes and tried to will away the sharp pain that still radiated through her body.

"Ah, it's alright, Queen Elsa. Honestly, most of us are just glad to have a butt back on the throne."

Lifting her head back up, Elsa ran her hand through her hair again before sighing. "Thank you for your patience and understanding, Finn." She said as the old man offered a genuine smile and nod in response. "Kristoff, can we go see Anna now?"

"How about I come see you instead?"

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed in glee as Anna came strolling through the new hole in the wall. She immediately rushed over to embrace her younger sister as a large smile graced her lips. "I feared the worst when Olaf said that you needed my help."

"I never told him to find you to get help, I asked him to find you so that we can show you the surprise!" She replied in an excited tone as she pulled away from her sister and held her by the shoulders at arm's length.

Immediately noticing the bandages around the crook of her neck underneath her chemise, Elsa gingerly pulled on the sleeve to expose Anna's shoulder and the bandages that covered it. "Anna, what happened?" She muttered in a shaky tone as she could feel a pressure starting to build behind her eyes. She didn't notice any blood soaking through the bandages, but that did little to alleviate her concern.

"She sprained her shoulder because she didn't believe me when I told her how heavy the wagon wheels were." Kristoff mentioned, walking past the sisters as he inspected the damaged brick in the doorway before stepping out of it. "It wasn't a real serious sprain, but I still thought it would be best to patch her up so she wouldn't be inclined to make it worse. Again."

Anna gazed at her sister and shrugged before averting her eyes. "It looks much worse than it feels, I promise! I sent Olaf so we can show you the wagon, but I guess he thought I meant to get you because I was in danger. After Kristoff finished with the bandages, I kind of fell asleep. But then this explosion went off but Olaf wouldn't let me stand up so that I could find out what it was." Anna explained, pulling Elsa toward her again into another embrace. "I'm honestly more worried about you!" She continued, brushing dust out of Elsa's hair and off the back of her dress.

Relieved that her sister was fine, Elsa let herself relax as she tightened the embrace and snuggled her nose into Anna's shoulder. After so many years locked away from any physical contact with other people, it was still a little awkward and strange for Elsa to allow herself the privilege of touching anyone, let alone hugging her sister so tightly. Although it hadn't even been a full day since the two reconciled and Elsa thawed the kingdom, she already found her sister's flowery and slightly earthy scent to be a comfort. "Don't worry about me." She reassured, holding onto her sister for just a moment longer when Anna began to pull away.

"Was that an order, Your Majesty?" Anna teased with a grin and a giggle as she took Elsa by the hand and started to lead her outside of the stables.

"It just might be, Your Highness." Elsa teased back, relieved to find the crowd has dissipated as the pair exited the stables. Turning a corner toward the back of the building, Elsa had to be careful to avoid tripping over the assorted tools and supplies strewn about underneath the canopy. When they finally reached their destination, Anna nudged toward the construct in front of her and bounced on her toes in excitement.

What Elsa saw was pretty much an exact replica of the sled that was gifted to Kristoff the previous evening after his old one exploded in a ravine. Although instead of the struts at the bottom, in their place were four large wagon wheels. The body of the wagon was painted the colors of Arendelle, forest green and royal purple with the golden crocus in the center that complimented the golden trimmings. Elsa took a hesitant step forward and rubbed the side of the wagon, eyes widening at the craftsmanship. "You and Kristoff did this?" Elsa asked, turning back toward her giddy sister with a smile.

"Mostly Kristoff." Anna admitted as she cleared her throat and shrugged. "The very first thing I tried to do was lift one of the wheels, and-" She nudged toward her shoulder. "Yeah. Instead, I painted it. And then I tried again to lift one of the wheels again, and that's how I ended up spraining my shoulder."

Elsa shook her head with a small chuckle and a grin. "Well, the paint job reflects the painter." She mentioned with a small shrug as she made her way back to Anna, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her toward her.

"What do you mean, Elsa?" Anna hesitantly asked, resting her head on her sister's shoulder.

"I mean it's beautiful, Anna. You and Kristoff really did a remarkable job on it." Elsa admitted.

"Oh- well, I-I uh-" Anna put a little distance between her and Elsa before clearing her throat again and rocked on her heels. "How about you help me put my dress back on because I can't lift my arm high enough to do it myself, then we grab Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, and we get going?" She suggested, turning on her heel and making her way back toward the stables before Elsa could answer.

Slightly dumbstruck, Elsa shrugged to herself before sitting down on a nearby bench as she heard the familiar pitter patter of snow against stone as Olaf turned the corner and hopped up on the bench next to her. "You and I are going to have to have a little talk about exaggeration." Elsa said, looking down at the confused snowman with a raised eyebrow.


	3. Memories

**A/N:** It's been awhile, hasn't it? So, I had planned on getting straight to work on this fic after Burning Low. Well, I finished up BL and thought I'd take a couple weeks break from writing. And then college started back up. And I just couldn't get myself into the mood to write. This chapter is short, but it's all I got down before college started back up and I thought I'd leave it as is. I _plan_ to start writing more often, but, I make no promises.

But I'm going to say this: I will not abandon this fic. I will **_never_ **abandon a fic. Updates, however, may end up being completely random. I apologize for this.

Enjoy!

* * *

Small clouds of snow were kicked up with every step Sven took in his pace. Every breath he took was visible in the crisp mountain air, they came in a steady yet heavy bursts, it was obvious that he wasn't used to carrying such a heavy load. Still, he managed it quite well as the runners of the sled slid across the snow with ease. By this point, both him and Kristoff knew the wild around Arendelle exceedingly well.

"Not too much further, buddy." Kristoff reassured, reaching forward and patting the reindeer on the chest. "Take it at your own pace; we're not on any schedule." He was seated on Sven, able to feel the reindeer's quickened breath underneath him. Kristoff didn't mind it; he was accustomed to riding his life-long friend in this fashion. He actually preferred it in this case, not having to be squished in the actual sled itself with Anna and Elsa. If he had any complaints, it would be that Olaf couldn't sit still cradled between Sven's antlers. "I'm kind of excited for you to meet some of these guys, Elsa." He called back, turning his head and smiling at the sisters seated behind him.

"I'm… anxious, to say the least." Elsa replied, leaning forward and bracing herself on the sled. "I've met them before, very briefly right after…" Her voice trailed off, eyes falling as she leaned back into her seat. She rested her hands on her legs, and turned them palm up. Briefly making a fist, she opened her hands back up and let out a brief sigh. Although it's been over a decade, and her relationship with Anna was recovering, the memory of harming her sister still burned in the back of her mind.

Anna reached over and placed her gloved hand over her sister's, turning toward her with wide eyes. "Would talking about it help you?" She asked innocently, sensing her sister's distress. "I actually still don't really remember what happened and I've love to know – but only if you're comfortable with talking about it, of course." She finished, a weak smile forming across her lips.

Elsa's fingers curled over the fabric of Anna's glove with just the right amount of pressure to feel her hand underneath. She couldn't help but still feel guilty about the entire situation, especially with the knowledge that Anna had lost many of her childhood memories. "It was an accident, Anna." She replied weakly, eyes fixated on her sister's hand over her own. "We were just children, we were just playing."

"Elsa-" Anna started, curling her own fingers over the back of Elsa's hands. "What matters is that we're together now, right?"

The crisp air began to sting the corners of Elsa's eyes where she felt small tears begin to form. She quickly blinked and shook her head. "After the incident, I called out for mother and father and we rushed over toward the trolls." She started again, briefly clearing her throat. "One of them was able to like, pull my magic out of your head or something. And he replaced all of your memories of my magic."

"Now that you mention that-" Kristoff called back. "I think I remember that night. It was the same night that Sven and I got separated from the harvesters and the trolls took us in." He looked over his shoulder, but his smile soon turned solemn once he noticed Elsa's fallen expression. "Hey, Elsa." He turned his head back toward the landscape in front of him. "I'm sure Grand Pabbie could restore Anna's memories if you think it'll help."

Elsa's ears perked when she heard Kristoff's idea. With widened eyes, she slowly turned her head toward Anna who she found looking straight back at her with a similar expression. Elsa knew that having the memories back wouldn't come close to restoring the time spent locked in her room, but, her powers were a large part of who she was. In a way, she felt like some of the magic of Anna's childhood was lost with the removal of the memories, as well as the knowledge of who Elsa was. "Is that something you'd like to do?" She asked shyly, unsure of how Anna would respond. "It would probably be a lot better than me describing them to you myself."

"I'll admit-" Anna started sheepishly, brushing back a strand of copper hair with her free hand. "It would be nice to remember things how they really were." She briefly paused for a slight second, looking up at her sister and back down toward their conjoined hands.

"Get down!"


End file.
